NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: The Evolution of an Avian Color Palette: The Roles of Genes, Environment, and Life History Underlying Egg and Feather Color in Weaver Birds

美国国家科学基金会生物学博士后奖学金：鸟类调色板的演变：基因、环境和生活史在织布鸟鸡蛋和羽毛颜色中的作用

• 批准号: 2209232
• 负责人: Jackie Childers
• 金额: $ 13.8万
• 依托单位: Childers, Jackie Lynn
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Fellowship Award
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-04-01 至 2025-03-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2209232&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: NSF; Postdoctoral; Fellowship; Biology; Evolution

Fellow's name: Jackie ChildersProposal number: 2209232Research title: The evolution of an avian color palette: understanding the roles of genes, environment, and life history underlying egg and feather color in weaver birds (Ploceidae)Sponsoring scientist(s) and host institution(s): Dr. Allison J. Shultz, Assistant Curator, Ornithology Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHMLAC)Co-Sponsoring scientist: Dr. Linnea Hall, Executive Director/Avian Conservation Biologist, Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology (WFVZ)This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2022, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. The vibrant colors of bird feathers and eggs have long fascinated biologists who have largely focused on their importance in social signals. However, variation in plumage and egg color among bird species is often associated with habitat and ecological differences, suggesting that the environment plays a strong role in driving the evolution of avian color traits. The project focuses on the weaver family (Ploceidae), which includes more than 100 species found in a wide variety of habitats throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, with individual species exhibiting unique combinations of feather and egg colors. The fellow will integrate color, environmental, and genetic data and use a novel approach to study evolutionary patterns of egg and plumage color in tandem. In doing so, the research will expand the fields of ecology and evolution by considering the role that coloration plays in allowing species to adapt to their environments and determine whether eggs and feathers evolve together. The fellowship will facilitate research and professional development opportunities for students from universities and colleges in the greater Los Angeles area, many of which are primarily minority serving. Within a biological context, coloration is a mediator between an organism and its environment and can play important roles in factors such as social signaling, thermoregulation, and antipredator defense. Comparative studies of avian coloration have demonstrated that it is subject to natural (e.g., camouflage) and sexual selection (e.g., prezygotic barrier). However, how various selective pressures interact with genes and the environment to produce color diversity remains poorly understood. The project will combine: 1) phenotypic data from eggs and plumage collected from museum specimens of weaver species; 2) georeferenced occurrence data of weaver species from which environmental variables will be extracted; and 3) whole genomes generated during the fellow’s Ph.D. which will be used to conduct comparative phylogenomic analyses of egg and feather color traits. Using digital imaging techniques, the project will also be the first family-level study to compare feather microstructures among species, potentially leading to the discovery of new color-generating mechanisms in feathers beyond pigments. To broaden the impact of the research the fellow will: 1) provide research opportunities for undergraduates related to the project; 2) participate in museum outreach events; 3) run Leadership in STEM summer workshop series geared towards early-career scientists. These combined activities seek to increase public engagement and retention of students in STEM fields from diverse backgrounds and highlight the critical role that museums play in acting as an interface between scientists and the local community.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

研究员姓名：Jackie Childers提案编号：2209232研究题目：鸟类调色板的演变：了解基因、环境和生活史在织鸟蛋和羽毛颜色下的作用赞助科学家和主办机构：洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆鸟类学部助理馆长Allison J. Shultz博士Linnea Hall博士，执行董事/鸟类保护生物学家，脊椎动物学西部基金会（WFVZ）这项行动为2022财年的NSF生物学博士后研究奖学金提供资金，综合研究调查基因组，环境和表型之间的生命管理相互作用的规则。该研究金支持研究员的研究和培训，以创新的方式为生活规则领域做出贡献。鸟类羽毛和鸟蛋的鲜艳色彩长期以来一直吸引着生物学家，他们主要关注它们在社会信号中的重要性。然而，鸟类之间羽毛和蛋色的变化往往与栖息地和生态差异有关，这表明环境在驱动鸟类颜色性状的进化中起着重要作用。该项目的重点是织布鸟科（Ploceidae），其中包括100多个物种，分布在撒哈拉以南非洲和东南亚的各种栖息地，个别物种表现出独特的羽毛和鸡蛋颜色的组合。该研究员将整合颜色，环境和遗传数据，并使用一种新的方法来研究鸡蛋和羽毛颜色的进化模式。在这样做的过程中，这项研究将通过考虑颜色在允许物种适应其环境并确定蛋和羽毛是否一起进化方面所起的作用来扩大生态学和进化的领域。该奖学金将促进大洛杉矶地区大学和学院学生的研究和专业发展机会，其中许多主要是少数民族服务。在生物学背景下，着色是生物体与其环境之间的媒介，并且可以在诸如社会信号、温度调节和抗捕食者防御等因素中发挥重要作用。鸟类颜色的比较研究表明，它是受自然（例如，伪装）和性选择（例如，前合子屏障）。然而，各种选择压力如何与基因和环境相互作用以产生颜色多样性仍然知之甚少。该项目将结合联合收割机：1）从博物馆收集的织鸟物种标本的卵和羽毛的表型数据; 2）织鸟物种的地理参考发生数据，从中提取环境变量; 3）在研究员博士学位期间产生的全基因组。其将被用于进行蛋和羽毛颜色性状的比较基因组分析。利用数字成像技术，该项目也将是第一个比较不同物种羽毛微观结构的家族级研究，可能导致发现羽毛中色素以外的新颜色生成机制。为了扩大研究的影响，该研究员将：1）为与该项目相关的本科生提供研究机会; 2）参加博物馆外展活动; 3）面向早期职业科学家的STEM夏季研讨会系列领导力。这些综合活动旨在提高公众参与度，留住来自不同背景的STEM领域的学生，并强调博物馆在科学家和当地社区之间发挥的关键作用。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。